This invention relates to puncturable articles formed of cloth or polymeric materials.
Mankind has always been plagued with articles that leak when they are not supposed to leak. Swimming pools, tents, roofs, rafts, inflatable toys, and waterbed mattresses all share a common feature, namely they are all susceptible to developing leaks, often with disastrous consequences.
These and other useful articles are formed from a thin, puncturable sheet of cloth such as canvas or polymeric materials such as polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. It is desirable to use these materials. For example, for waterbed mattresses polyvinyl chloride is an excellent material to use in that it is durable, flexible, and can easily be bonded to itself by adhesives and heat for forming sheets into the configuration of a waterbed.
Unfortunately, an owner of a waterbed mattress, forgetting that he does not have a conventional mattress, can stick a pin into the mattress, thereby causing a leak. Also, cats and other domestic animals are known to rip waterbed mattresses, rafts, and other items.
Leaks from these articles can be, at a minimum, inconvenient, and in some cases disastrous. A leaking swimming pool or waterbed mattress can create property damage. A leaking raft could result in loss of human life.
In view of these problems, there is a need for non-leaking, self-sealing articles formed from flexible sheets of cloth and polymeric material.